


you put me at ease, loved me so naughty, made me weak in the knees

by SleepyBanshee



Category: SKAM (Spain)
Genre: F/M, also like nicoles interview about nora being in control or perfect, before season and most of the social media content we've been getting, christmas 2019, so i explore that too, the friendliest of friends, the type of friends where they love each other the best and think about each other often, totally just friends, ya know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22109686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepyBanshee/pseuds/SleepyBanshee
Summary: Nora and Alejandro meet for coffee during Christmas/holiday break. How is Nora supposed to deal with receiving the most perfect gift?Nora POV
Relationships: Alejandro Beltrán de Miguel/Nora Grace
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	you put me at ease, loved me so naughty, made me weak in the knees

Nora sat, folding her legs under her in the small booth in the corner--her preferred spot at this tiny coffee shop. She came here often to get out of her house and away from her parents. She loved them, but their stifling desire for the perfect daughter made her chest tighten. She tucked her hair behind her ears as she flipped the worn, yellowing pages of her book. Her mug sat empty, nothing but the last remaining bits of chocolate and milk at the bottom. She had pushed the cup towards the side out of the way. She lost herself in the familiar pages and entered another world, an escape only books could offer.

She jumped when large soft hands brushed her forearm, and she looked up, craning her neck higher to reach Alejandro’s face. His touch was gentle, and she noted a slight smile pulling at his lips, but his eyes remained sharp and cataloging.

“Hi,” she breathed, her eyebrows drawing together. She tilted her head at him slightly before checking her phone for the time. “Sorry. I lost track of time,” she told him, carefully closing her book and giving her attention to him.

“How long have you been here?” Alejandro asked as he slid himself into the tiny booth. She bit her lip to keep from smiling as he haphazardly folded his legs under the small table. He noticed her attempt to stifle a grin. “I can’t believe you found a coffee shop that has norita size furniture,” he teased, pulling up the sleeves of his black sweater to reveal his forearms. 

Nora rolled her eyes, but her smile bloomed brighter. “We can’t all be giants.”

“Certainly not you, at the very least,” he joked.

“Ha ha,” Nora deadpanned before answering his earlier question. “A few hours.”

Alejandro’s expressive brown eyes widened in surprise. “Did I have the time wrong?” he asked a small wrinkle formed between his brows, and Nora had to clutch the table to prevent her hand from moving up to smooth it. Her need to touch him, to feel his skin, his strength, his warm laugh under her fingers was becoming increasingly problematic for Nora. But she withheld like she always did around Alejandro. Like she had to.

“No, no,” she assured quickly. “I just needed to get out of the house.” She shrugged her shoulders, hoping to avoid a deeper conversation about her parents, their expectations, her endless pursuit for perfection. She didn’t have the strength for that today.

“Well, maybe a present will cheer you up?” He enticed, thankfully moving on from the frown on her face, the dark circles under her eyes. They both knew he was aware of them, but he respected the silence, her hesitant eyes whenever they broached the topic of home. It would come to a head, eventually, but not today. Not now.

“Presents?” She asked, intrigued despite herself. “We promised no gifts. You were there.” Nora crossed her arms over her chest and raised one perfect eyebrow. Alejandro’s answering grin to her admonishment should have been illegal. God, this boy was so pretty.

“I have no memory of that. Huh!” He said innocently, but the smile still on his face was anything but.

“I didn’t get you anything.” She said softly, feeling a small ache in her heart. She would’ve gotten him a present. Would’ve loved to get everyone a gift in their group, but they all agreed to go sans present this year and instead save the money to go on the best end of the year trip possible.

“I don’t need a present.” He dismissed with a shake of his hands. “I have everything, remember?”

“How could I forget?” She began, leaning into the middle of the table as if she was about to reveal a secret of great importance. She willed the smile off her face and looked him in the eye. “Giants do love collecting shiny things.” She regretted none of her actions as she saw the exact moment of realization that she was poking fun at him.

“Perhaps I should return my present then?” She glanced around him for a package, and seeing nothing, shrugged.

“I don’t see anything here.” He shuffled a little, his hand going into his back pocket, pulling out a small envelope, but flipping the front down onto the table so she couldn’t read anything.

“And now?” He asked as he had given her a peak. She huffed out a laugh.

“This isn’t fair. I have all of zero gifts for you.”

“I don’t need gifts, Nora. How about,” he began, as the hand not resting on the envelope came to rest near her own hand on the tabletop. She glanced down at his hand and made her fingers remain stationary despite the lingering thoughts of what it might be like to move the few inches separating their hands and to twine her smaller hand with his. Her gaze snapped back to his. “we just think of this as an early international women’s day present.”

This time she laughed and with a rueful shake of her head acquiesced. “Fine!” She said through her laughter. “Give me my early international women’s day present. It’s about time I am showered in gifts by men for being a woman.” She held out her hand palm facing up, waiting for the envelope.

“Finally, although maybe I should lower your expectations. It’s nothing big.” He told her, and Nora noticed him shift his weight and start to move his leg up and down under the table--a nervous gesture if Nora had ever seen one.

“So, it’s not the check for one million dollars I asked the three wise men for?”

“No, but you still have time,” he ribbed back, his leg still shaking under the table. “You might even get something by January 6th. Nora kept her hand outstretched, waiting before Alejandro finally handed over the small envelope.

She saw her name and address addressed on the front in neat lettering and looked up intrigued. Carefully, she turned it over and opened it. Inside was a small note--no bigger than an index card and a brightly colored graphic. She placed picked up the note first.

_Nora,  
Happy Christmas from the U.S.! Your friend, Alejandro, has bought you a year’s subscription to the Feminist Sticker Club. Each month we will send you a vinyl, waterproof, feminist sticker designed by a feminist artist. The proceeds go towards those artists as well as feminist organizations fighting for social justice. We hope you enjoy.  
Welcome to the club!_

Nora glanced up, her heart in her throat looking at his hesitant face before picking up the brightly colored sticker. It was a good size, it could easily fit on her phone. Nora traced her finger over the black witches hat with small drawn flowers next to it, and the words hex the patriarchy under the hat.

She loved it. She blinked the tears out of her eyes, thinking about the incredible thoughtfulness that Alejandro had put into the gift. She didn’t even know this existed, let alone was part of it, and yet, for a full year, she would get a small token of resistance. It wasn’t just the gift, it was the giver too.

It warmed her thoroughly, her face fighting a small blush, that Alejandro seemed to know her--to get her--so accurately. Had she ever been truly seen like this? Maybe...perhaps, it was time to stop being so perfect all of the time.

Maybe, she would find that she could be at ease with this pretty boy and his thoughtful gifts.

Maybe she should risk it. For once in her life.

“Thank you,” she whispered, the words so genuine her throat felt raw from the emotion they contained. She watched as Alejandro breathed out a sigh and gave her a soft smile.

“Of course, Nora. I was excited to find it.” He said, mirroring the softness of her voice in his own.  
She nodded, still wrestling with the lump in her throat. She carefully put the note and the sticker back into the envelope and tucked everything into her beloved book before getting out of the book and standing next to the table. She turned to him, expectant.

“Stand up,” she demanded and grinned slightly at the wary look in his eyes before he obeyed her command. He stood, still, awkwardly, looking down at her suspiciously. And she ignored it. Without any preamble, she stepped immediately into the warmth of him, her arms reaching around his waist, and her face tucked gently into his chest. He stood, shocked for a moment before his own arms wrapped around her back. He squeezed her to him, parroting her own actions.

And for the first time in so long. She felt her burden of control and of perfection melt away.

She was just Nora at this moment. Held in the arms of someone she truly cared about.

Embraced by the surety and support of Alejandro’s body and heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Show of hands, who feels personally victimized by Skam España's media content? 
> 
> The feminist sticker club is real and amazing and I def have a yearly subscription. https://www.feministstickerclub.com/
> 
> I'm working on a similar fic for crisana, too! 
> 
> Title from Joni Mitchell's song River 
> 
> find me on tumblr: https://air-bison-yip-yip.tumblr.com/
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> xoxo,  
> SleepyBanshee
> 
> also @/nnegan13 didn't beta this cause i'm impatient, but she was in my heart while writing.


End file.
